Apparatus for indicating the height of liquid in receptacles



May 12, 1936. v L. s. Cl-iALATOW 2 0 APPARATUS FOR- INDICATING THEHEIGHT' 0F LIQUID INFECEPTACLES Filed May 1, Q9 33 INZ FA/ 70A Pat entedMay 12, 1936 APPARATUS Fon mnIcA'rmG THE HEIGHT or LIQUID m anonrmcmsLeon Chalatow,'Boston, Mass., assignor to Philip A. Jerguson, Medford,Mass.

' Application May 1, 1933, Serial' No. ceases 1 Claim.

. My present invention relates to improvement in liquid levelindicators, that indicate by weighing theliquid, and use a container ofa cylindricai or other suitable shape in communication with the, liquidreceptacle and use a scale mechanism supporting the cylinder andpermitting movemeat 01' said cylinder in accordance with the weight ofliquid therein-{ and the objects of my improvement are: First-t0eliminate the error in indication resulting from the resistance of tubes(connecting the cylinder to the liquid receptacle) to bending, saidbending being produced by the movement of the cylinder. Second-toeliminate the error in indication resulting from the thrust exercised bythe flexible tubes on the cylinder, said thrust being the result of thestiffening of the tubes under internal pressure. Third-to eliminate theerror in indication resulting from the difference of temperaturesbetween the liquid in the receptacle and the liquid in the weighingcylinder or water column.

I attain this object by mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing,'in which I Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine as it 2appears after the removal of the top of the box. Figure 2 is a verticalview of the machine as it appears after the removal of the side cover.

Figm-e 3 is a detailed view "of the universal joint, and Figure 4 is across-section view of the flexible :ubes connecting thecylinder to theliquid recep-' acle.

Similar numerals refer to several views.

'I'hesteam boiler l is a cross conventional type. v I

- The gauging instrumentalities comprise a weighing cylinder 4, hangingfrom a scale beam 5. Sam beam has a knife pivot B rigidly connectedsimilar parts through to it and is free to oscillate in agate bearings Iand 8, said bearingsbeing supported by frame I. Said irame is connectedby suitable means to some structure, for instance, the one supportingthe boiler (one half of frame 8, only, is shown in Fig. 2). The weighingcylinder '4 has communication with the interior of the boiler by meansoftube 2 and'tube 3 connecting it to the water and steam space of theboiler respectively.

Counter-weight I0 is attached to one end of the Q conneetedtoitisfreetoosciilateinagatebeara lugs "and", said bearingsare supported by drumboiler of scalebeamandlink ii isattachedtoitsopposite endandconnectssaidscalebeamtopendmum l2. Pendulum l2 with knife pivot is which isrigidly frame 9. Indicator [6 is fixed to the pendulum, and dial i1 isattached to the box I-8. Said box is supported by frame 9. The rod i9 isattached by means of a pivot to the scale beam 5 and cylinder 4is'attached to'said rod through a universal 5 joint. Said universal,joint shown inx Figure 3 consists of a hook 20 and eye 2i and a ball22, the ball 22 being placed between the hook 20 and the eye 2i.About'one-eighth of the ball 22 is inserted in a spherical depression inthe hook 10' 20, and one-eighth of the ball 22 at the opposite side isinserted in a' spherical depression in the eye 2i, to prevent the ball22 from rolling out.

It will be understood from the description so without restraint throughpipe 3 into the weighing cylinder 4, and will rise therein to a certain.level, causing the cylinder, to descend against the r increasingmomentum of the pendulum l2. In order to indicate the level of the waterin the 20 Weighing cylinder, and'hence the. level of the water in theboiler, the following instrumentalities are used: 3

Upon the pendulum is arranged an indicating hand it, and a dial i1 isrigidly connected through 25 the box l8 to the frame 9. 3 It will beobvious that as the weighing cylin- Zfder 4 moves in either directionthat this 'move- 'ment is communicated to the scale beam. 5 and throughthe link ii is communicated to the pento dulum l2 and to the indicatinghand l6, causing the latter to move upon the dial i1.

As the level of the liquid rises or falls th cylinder will, due to thechange in weight, move the bending of the flexible tubes connecting thecylinder to the boiler.

By means of long and elaborate experiments I found that this bending offlexible tubes. if the latter are made of special corrugated inner tubes40 covered with one or more metallic wire braiding on the outside, offerpractically no resist-- ance, provided that the total travel of themoving end oflthe flexible tube up or down from its horizontal positiondoes not exceed 1/100 of the t5 total length of the flexible portion ofthe tube. After the above-mentioned limit is surpassed,- the resistanceof the tubes to bending decreases the sensitiveness of the apparatus andthe indicating hand does not return to its initial posi- T tion'when theliquid does, and the same weights produce diiferent movements of theindicating By suitably proportloning the parts, such as the distancesoi'the pivot points of the scale far that the water supplied to theboiler will flow 1; Y

up or down and this motion will be followed by, 35-

beam and pendulum from the point of suspension of the cylinder andby-selecting the proper weight for the pendulum and locating it atcertain distance from the pivot point of the pendulum, the total travelor the moving end oi. the flexible tube (resulting from the diil'erentposition of the weighing cylinder when empty or full) up or down fromits horizontal position could be reduced to a distance .not exceeding1/100 of-the total length of the flexible portion of each tube.

If this is done the resistance of said'tubes to bending (provided thesetubes are made of corrugated inner tubes covered with one or morebraidings of metallic wire on the outside), will not detrimentallyeffect the correctness of the indication. g p 7 As the water in theweighing receptacle will always be coolerthan the water in the boilerthe density of the water in the'receptacie will be greater than thedensity of the water in the boiler and it will assume a.ievel somewhatlower than the level of the water in the boiler. 'By suitablyproportioning the'parts oi. the apparatus, such as the distance oi thepivot point of the scale beamfrom the point oi. suspension of theweighing receptacle,'the distance of the pivot point 0! the pendulumfrom its center of gravity, the weight of the pendulum and the locationof marks on the dial, the apparatus could be made to indicate tor acertain specified pressure and temperature in the boiler, the height oiwater in the boiler and not the height of water in the weighingcontainer. This will eleminate the error in indication resulting fromthe cooling on the cylinder-in different directions, depend- 5 ing uponthe imperfection of alignment, and'inequality in the flexibility oi thetubes. By us- .ing a specialtype of universal joint, illustrated inFigure 3, the cylinder is permitted to adjust itself to a position thatwill relieve this thrust and eliminate the error in indication oi theliquid level resulting from said thrust.

I am aware thatprior to my invention liquid level indicators have beenmade with weighing receptacles in connection with scale mechanism. 15 I,therefore, do not claim such a combination broadly, but I claim:

In a device ofthe class described a container having flexible tubularconnecting means for placing it in communication with a remote body 20of liquid toreceive from said body a column of liquid, the altitudeo!which is definitely related to the depth of said body, the containerbeing substantially free to move up and down under gravity by virtue oisaid connecting means, means for supporting the container comprising amovable counteracting mass adapted to balance the container in all itsconditions of fullness, and

means for manifesting the position or said mass, said connecting meansextending substantially straight and horizontally and being of a lengthat least about one hundred times the vertical length oiwthe range ofmovement of the container.

. LEON 'SERGIUS CHALATOW.

